


Reaching for the Sun (EmetxWoL Week 2020)

by AzureSummoner



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Index in chapter 1, Prompt Fic, Romance, future chapters may be nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:49:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26473675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzureSummoner/pseuds/AzureSummoner
Summary: A collection of prompts for EmetxWoL week 2020.
Relationships: Azem/Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch, Hades/Persephone (WoL), Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Comments: 11
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> These will likely be relatively short stories with minimal editing, written for EmetxWoL week. I was working on some illustrations to go with these, but they take more time and will have to come later.
> 
> See the link for more details: https://twitter.com/emetwolweek

**EmetxWoL Week 2020: Index**

Day 1 - Light | Darkness 

Day 2 - Ocean | Rain

Day 3 - I knew you once upon a time | Kiss


	2. Day 1 - Light | Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He just might melt.

Hades felt a comfortable weight settle across his back as Persephone leaned over him. She brushed the hair from his closed eyes, before her petal soft lips graced his cheek. He groaned and shifted, slowly stretching out, though he only played at being roused from sleep -- he’d been awake for some time.

Had he still lived alone, he would have simply pulled the covers over his head and let darkness reclaim him. That was in the past. She had accepted his home, his bed for her own, and things were changing. His body, his _aether_ was becoming attuned to her rhythm. There was a _reason_ to crawl out of bed early. A seedling, breaking through the cold, hard ground to reach for the warmth of the sun. The ways that she loved him, touched him, fussed over him… And if his nose wasn’t lying, she’d brewed coffee.

He just might melt.

“Good morning, dearest,” she cooed as he opened his eyes.

He turned to her, and smiled.


	3. Day 2 - Ocean | Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, mild sexual content

“Catch me!” she teased, dancing in the gently lapping waves along the shoreline. 

Hades had to admit that she was quick on her feet. Every time that he lunged to grab her, she twisted out of his reach and put several fulms between them. Persephone paused to laugh at him. She looked stunning, with the hem of her robe tied up at her hips, and her long hair loosely pinned atop her head.

“What will I win?” he asked, stalking towards her with a growing grin.

“How about a kiss?” She pursed her lips at him. “Are you sure you’re really trying, though?”

“There’s no one around, darling. I can afford to play the long game,” he taunted, leaping forward, and promptly stumbled as his foot sunk into the wet sand. Landing on his knees, he cursed as his own robes became soaked by the saltwater. 

The first drops of rain fell on his head then, and he tilted his gaze toward the overcast sky. This had been a nice suggestion for a private outing, but the weather seemed disinclined to cooperate.

“Hades, come on! I’m getting bored,” she called. This time he broke into a full out run, snorting at her mild panic. He reached out, fingertips brushing the edge of her hood, but still she evaded him. 

“You’ll have to do better!” she taunted, in the same moment that her foot struck a rock in her path. Down she went, turning awkwardly to fall on her bottom. “Ow!”

“Are you alright?” he asked, forgetting the discomfort of his wet robes to kneel at her side. By the look of it, she wasn’t.

“I think I twisted it,” she whined.

“Dear me. Well, let’s see if you can stand. Here, let me help you,” he offered, letting her grip his arms as he hauled her up. The moment she was on her feet she fell into him, wincing in pain. The rain had picked up.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I guess we should go home.”

“Nonsense.” Hades turned away from her and knelt. “Get on my back.”

“O-oh? You’re going to let me ride you, huh?” She realized her error upon his outbreak of laughter, and turned a brilliant pink.

“Perhaps once we’ve taken care of your sprain,” he grinned, feeling the heat of her press up against his back. “Let’s take cover in that cave we saw, until the storm passes.”

*****

Before long he’d built a crackling fire in the mouth of the cave, their wet robes hung on the walls to dry. The rain outside had become a steady downpour.

“How does that feel?” he asked. The glow of his healing magic faded and he leaned back, letting Persephone flex her ankle. 

“Like new,” she decided. Before he could move too far, she’d snared her arms around his neck and pulled him in to seal their lips together.

“I suppose you earned that,” she hummed when they parted. “I don’t think the rains will end anytime soon. What shall we do to pass the time?”

“I’m sure we can find something,” he murmured, and wrapping his arms around her smaller frame, leaned once more into her warmth.


	4. Day 3 - I Knew You Once Upon a Time | Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sap, mild sexual content, longing.

Persephone didn’t understand the idea of growing ‘comfortably bored’ with one’s partner. It was something she’d overheard a group of older Amaurotines talking about, and the thought plagued her in the following weeks.

She knew that not all married partners chose to bond their souls. Some marriages were born from convenience, and some were to strengthen ties between families. There were also marriages like hers, that were born out of love and passion. Being near her husband was enough to make her aether spark. Their physical intimacy threatened to set her on fire.

But for all the ways they touched one another, her favorite expression of love came when their lips met. Sometimes it was soft and unhurried, and others it was frantic and bruising. The ones she liked most of all, she thought (as her face grew hot), involved the languid twine of their tongues while he pushed inside of her.

“What lewd thoughts are you dwelling on, my dear?” he asked from beside her on the sofa. Her cheeks were glowing. She cupped her hands to her face in embarrassment.

“A-ah! It’s not fair to read my thoughts,” she laughed, tilting her eyes up at him. “I was thinking that I would like to kiss you.”

“I see,” he acknowledged. He slapped shut the book he’d been reading and set it on the table before turning to her. “Then you’ll not hear any complaints from me.”

He pulled her into his embrace, and she leaned into his smile.

*****

When her mind refocused after floating through whatever haze she’d indulged in, the Warrior of Light found herself firmly encircled in the Ascian’s embrace. His hand was beneath her shirt, the silk of his gloves sliding up her back as his tongue slid against hers. She gripped his shoulders, and with a muffled squeal, pushed him away.

“Em--Emet-Selch, what do you think you’re doing!?” she cried. Her face felt unbearably hot. What in Hydaelyn’s name had she been doing just now?

“I would ask you the same thing, hero,” he snarked. “ _You’re_ the one who came onto me.”

What? Was that true? She racked her brains to recall the last few minutes, but everything felt so hazy.

“If you’re only going to toy with me, then I shall take my leave,” he groused. “I don’t enjoy being lead on anymore than _you_ would.”

“W--wait --!” she called, but he merely flicked his wrist at her in dismissal, before he was consumed by the shadows.

What had that been about? And what was this strange ache in her chest? It felt as if waking from a long dream, and a yearning for something long lost.

She touched her kiss-swollen lips, and pondered what it meant.


	5. Day 4 - Sleep | Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Longing, mild angst.
> 
> Emet-Selch rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn’t dreaming.

The lifespan of a mortal was but the blink of an eye to an immortal such as Emet-Selch. As the body of Solus zos Galvus drew its last, ragged breaths, he committed his soul to the rift and looked forward to a well-deserved rest.

Only in sleep was he relieved from the burden of duty. Within its embrace he could journey to the past, to a time long forgotten. To a place where she waited for him, and would walk by his side once more. He had apologies to make this time. In the guise of the emperor he’d allowed himself to slip, to indulge in some hope that these sundered creatures possessed more potential than he would admit. In the end it was for naught, a foolish mistake on his part. No matter how close he came to them, they were nothing more than poor, floundering imitations of life. God help him for allowing such a distraction. All because she remained hidden from him.

_I have searched for you in every lifetime, and I am left wanting. Why will you not appear? What has become of you, my most beautiful soul?_

*****

He raged against Elidibus for disturbing his slumber. Lahabrea had perished at the hand of Hydaelyn’s champion. 

It was hardly the first time that one of his brethren had fallen to a bringer of Light, but never one of the Unsundered. He had to consider the old man’s carelessness over the ages though, shirking the health of his soul in the name of duty. And that had been _with_ Igeyorhm beside him. He thought back to how the others criticized his solitude, warning that it was a grave error not to take a partner.

There was only one who would walk with him, and she wasn’t here.

Emet-Selch roused himself and heaved a weary sigh, which turned to aggravation in short order. If he were to have his rest he would need to deal with this meddler. 

In short order he turned his focus to the First, pursuing the Warrior to that distant star. She would suffer his ire for her interference. Who was this child of Light that dared defy him? And there, in that violet forest, did he lay eyes upon her. There, after a thousand thousand mortal lifetimes, he glimpsed that soul of most brilliant blue.

Emet-Selch rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn’t dreaming.


	6. Day 5 - Fight | Heal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst, romance, mild cartoonish violence I suppose.
> 
> I didn't intend for this to run on for so long. Apologies if the end feels rushed.

“Persephone!” called a familiar, yet not particularly welcome voice. She turned on her heel to find Pirithous jogging toward her, and held in a sigh.

“Yes?” 

“I can’t stay, but --” She counted her blessings. He pulled an envelope from his sleeve and pushed it toward her. “Would you deliver this to Hades?”

That left her slack-jawed. Pirithous was no particular fan of her dear friend. She held the paper up to the light, turning it this way and that. There were no markings on the exterior to indicate who it was from.

“It’s private,” he protested. “It isn’t anything that would bring him misfortune, I swear it. So would you, please?”

“I suppose so,” she agreed. She had half a mind to open it once Pirithous was out of sight, but she wouldn’t betray Hades’ trust like that. If it were something private for him then, she would simply deliver it.

“Thanks so much. I have to run. See you around!”

And before she could fit another word in, the man had turned around and run off. Something didn’t feel right, but it was only a letter, wasn't it?

*****

Some time that afternoon, after her studies with Halmarut had ended, Persephone wandered to the courtyard where she usually met her friends. There she found Hades, alone. Hythlodaeus had evidently wandered off to flirt with the latest target of his affections.

“I guess it’s just you and I then.” He shrugged.

“I prefer your company, regardless.”

“Hush!” she laughed. For all of his jests toward the other man, she knew he didn’t mean any of it. Hythlodaeus was easily his truest friend. The two had known one another even before meeting Persephone.

“Oh! I have something for you,” she remembered, drawing the envelope out of her robes. There was an odd feeling that crept up in her chest as she handed it over.

“What’s this?” he asked, turning the envelope over in his hands.

“It’s --”

“Persephone, there you are!” For the second time that day, a familiar voice was calling after her. This time it was Theseus, the bosom buddy of Pirithous. He appeared winded, as if he had just run across the length of the entire campus.

“Halmarut’s looking for you,” he relayed, leaning forward to brace his hands against his knees as he caught his breath.

“But I just left his class!”

“It seemed important. Can I tell him to expect you?”

She looked aside to Hades, and sighed. “Sorry. You don’t have to wait for me.”

“It’s fine,” he responded. “But this letter…?”

“It’s…” She glanced aside to Theseus, who appeared anxious to be on their way. She didn’t want to voice her suspicions about his best friend in front of him, and decided to bite her tongue for the time being. “We’ll talk later.”

With a wave she set off for Halmarut’s lab, hoping to complete her task as soon as possible. 

She didn’t see Hades open the letter. She missed the way that his face fell as he began to read, or how his hands shook as he reached the end.

When she returned a short while later, her friend was nowhere to be found.

*****

The heartache she experienced in the following days was unlike any pain she’d felt before.

It began the following morning, when she arrived at the park where she normally met her friends before their walk to the Akadamia. This time, only Hythlodaeus was waiting for her, and he appeared almost nervous. When she asked after Hades, he replied hesitantly that the other man was feeling unwell. This was rather odd, but when she offered to walk up to his apartments to check on him, Hythlodaeus was quick to talk her down and pull her along to classes.

With no word from Hades by the afternoon, she grew quite concerned. After waving goodnight to Hythlodaeus she quickly backtracked her steps to her ailing friend’s home. During the elevator ride to his floor she felt her heart sink, though she couldn’t explain why.

When she arrived at his door, something felt wrong. She knocked once, twice, then again. There was no reply.

“Hades?” she called through the door. She cast out her aether to feel for him, but she found herself blocked at the door. As if something was barring her entry. 

“Hades!” she called again, trying the knob. Locked. Even when she tried her key, the door refused to give.

“Hades, are you home?” No response. By now the neighbors were peering out from their doors, and she apologized for causing a disturbance as she turned away.

*****

Another day came and went before Hades returned to classes. He simply appeared at their usual meeting spot in the morning, with an apprehensive Hythlodaeus. When Persephone greeted him, all she received was a curt, “good morning.” They were the only words he spoke during their walk.

During Lahabrea’s lecture he would normally sit beside Persephone, muttering commentary under his breath in attempts to make her laugh. Today, he was strangely absent at the start of the period, sneaking in at some point later to sit in the back. She tried to reach for his aether once more, but found him closed off.

When the afternoon came, she excused herself from Halmarut’s class early and quietly walked home, alone.

*****

Hythlodaeus appeared at her doorstep the following afternoon, after she’d failed to appear for classes that day. She quietly asked him through the door to leave her be, to which he simply invited himself in. Unlike their more stubborn friend, she hadn’t gone to the extent of warding her apartment against intruders.

“Oh my sweet spring flower!” he cried upon seeing her. She was an absolute mess. Her hair was unkempt, her eyes were bloodshot, and tears had stained trails down her face. Before she could heave another sob, he had wrapped her in his arms and hushed her, as a parent would comfort a child.

“Dear girl, what in the Star’s name has _happened_?” he worried, though he had a very good inclination in mind.

“What have I done wrong?” she warbled, pausing between words to steady herself. “Hades won’t talk to me. He’s completely shut me out!”

“There, there, sweet thing,” he cooed, brushing her hair affectionately. “Let’s dry those tears, shall we? There must be some misunderstanding.”

Before she knew what had happened, Persephone found herself wrapped in a thick blanket on her sofa, with her friend pushing a cup of hot, sweetened tea into her hands.

“Now, tell me what has transpired these last few days. Spare no detail,” he urged, taking a seat beside her. As she began to recount her activities, Hythlodaeus thanked the stars that she was too focused on the reflection in her teacup. The hard expression in his eyes might have frightened her.

*****

“Hades, open the door!” he called, pounding at the entrance. When there was no reply (although the neighbors were once again snooping), Hythlodaeus cursed under his breath and unwound the magic that had prevented his entry. 

When he nudged the door open, he found the apartment cold and dark. 

“Hades is _definitely_ home,” he assured Persephone beside him, though he practically had to drag her inside with him. 

“Stop sulking and come here,” he called into the shadowy living quarters.

“You weren’t invited. Kindly see yourself out,” came a rough voice from the next room.

“Fine, but I’m leaving her here. I believe you two have some things to sort through.”

There was a period of silence that followed, before the frame of a man materialized in the living room.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Hythlodaeus complained. He reached aside to flick the light switch, causing Hades to hiss and recoil at the sudden surge of brightness. 

“Give me warning, next time!” he growled.

“Serves you right. Now will you sit down and work this out, or must I stay and supervise?” He didn’t miss the difficulty with which Hades finally turned his eyes to Persephone. 

*****

After Hythlodaeus left, it was some moments before Hades spoke.

“Can I get you a drink?” he tried. It wouldn’t have been unusual for Persephone to help herself to anything in his kitchen, but on this occasion she still stood near the doorway, nervously wringing her hands.

“N-no, thank you,” she replied weakly, her gaze focused on the floor. He heard her take a deep breath, and braced himself for what she might say. 

“Hades, why are you upset with me?”

When she looked up she could see that he’d parted his lips to speak, but no sound came forth. Instead he closed his mouth, seeming to ponder on something.

“You said that you wanted space,” he finally said. She could sense that he was choosing his words carefully. “I was trying to respect your wishes.”

“What? I never said such a thing!” she cried in shock. He was taken aback by her stunned expression. Persephone was a terrible liar to begin with. To see such genuine emotion on her face… Hades huffed, and ran a hand through his hair.

“We should sit down. Won’t you come in?” he tried, gesturing towards the living room. It took a moment for Persephone to make her legs work, but gradually she made her way to the sofa, sitting at one end while he took the other.

“It was… fairly clear by your letter,” he started, staring at his upturned palms in his lap. “I should have known that I never stood a chance,” he remarked ruefully.

“My letter? I didn’t --” the words were spoken before things clicked into place. “What did it say?”

“Persephone… You wrote it, you should --”

“ _No_! I didn’t write that! I was asked to give it to you.”

He finally looked at her, his face gone pale. “Y-you didn’t…?” he started, his mouth turning dry.

“Why would I write you a letter when I talk to you every day?” she asked, sounding confused. After a moment, he pushed aside some documents that were scattered across the coffee table, and retrieved a sheet of paper. He handed it towards her.

“Is this not your handwriting?” he asked as delicately as possible. Persephone snatched the paper away and skimmed it. The crease between her eyebrows grew deeper as her cheeks burned an angry red.

“What -- what is this!?” she cried. “It _looks_ like my writing, but I didn’t pen this! And these words are…” she stumbled, finally absorbing what was written.

_My dearest Hades,_

_As much as it pains me to write this, t’would be crueler still to lead you on. I haven’t missed the way that your eyes linger on me, or the myriad excuses that you find to touch me. I treasure your friendship more than anything, as I’m sure you do mine, but this cannot continue._

_I need this to end. We should spend some time apart._

_…_

She read on, the words gradually blurring as her eyes began to water. Her small frame began to tremble with anger. Who had written such _nonsense_ and signed her name to it? And how had they captured her handwriting so neatly?

She knew, more like than not, that Pirithous was behind this. She wasn’t blind to his attempts to entice her, but she wouldn’t have expected him to pull something so underhanded.

“Seph…?” she heard Hades call. She realized she’d been crushing the paper between her hands, compacting it into a wrinkled ball.

“Did you really believe I would write such a thing?” she asked in a small voice. When she found the resolve to look at her friend, he quickly glanced aside and rubbed at his neck sheepishly.

“I… suppose I let my emotions blind me,” he admitted, immediately wincing. Then the reason that he was so hurt…? The things noted in the letter -- the looking, and the touching weren’t just in her imagination?

“Let me see that,” he continued, reaching into her hands to take the balled up paper. He stared at it rather intently, uttering several curses under his breath after a moment.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m an absolute fool,” he muttered. “That bastard’s ambient aether is all over -- no, nevermind that for now.” He carelessly tossed the paper onto the table, then turned to his dear, muddled friend. She was turning red, though staring at her hands.

“D--do you…” she tried, tapping the tips of her index fingers together. As gently as he could, Hades covered her hands with one of his. Daring to reach out he traced a thumb along her jawline, delicately tipping her chin up so that she would look at him.

“I need to confess something,” he started quietly. She held her breath. Then the weight was upon him, the burden to release the emotions that had plagued him for so long. She was holding his gaze on her own now, leaving his hand to wander. He idly stroked the backs of his fingers along her cheek, her skin flushed and warm to his touch.

“You’ve been crying,” he said softly. “I hope you didn’t shed those tears over me.”

“Of course I did. You locked me out,” she huffed. She reached up to place her hand over his, her face growing hotter to the touch. “What about you?” she asked, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes. “Oh Hades, I’m so sorry. You were really hurt, weren’t you?”

“The fault is mine. Had I looked more closely, I would have seen the trickery at play. Now let me say this, before I lose my nerve.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but promptly thought better of it and closed it. 

“I…” he began, words failing. His face grew red. He shook his head and tried again. “After I read that letter, I came home and stared at the walls for nearly three days. I’m quite useless without you.”

“That’s not true, you --”

“Let me finish,” he snapped, but there was no gravity to it. His fingers moved into her hair, fluffing the locks that framed her face. “I want more than your friendship. You are my sun and my stars. Without your light, I’m…” He took a breath. “You needn’t worry. Reject me, and I will mold myself into something that passes for a man quickly enough. But --”

“-- Hades --”

“-- allow me to love you, and everything that I am is yours. My dreams, my ambitions… I would lay them all at your feet.”

She shocked him when she lunged, grabbing him by the collar and -- she froze, hovering before his face, and spoke in a quiet whisper. “I… I don’t know how to do this,” she admitted.

When he found his breath, he smiled and pulled her closer. 

*****

“Move aside!” Lahabrea yelled. He was practically shoving students out of the way to get to the scene of the accident.

“What’s happened?” Persephone gasped, looking to Hythlodaeus. The tall man shrugged and rubbed the side of his face absently.

“I hear that a student created a giant cubus and was promptly devoured.”

“Wh--what!?” she cried. “We can’t just stand here then, we should --!”

“Let Lahabrea handle it.” Hades snagged her by the arm before she could run off, daring thing that she was. “He’s best equipped to deal with such creation magic run amok.” 

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” she asked, allowing her friends to lead her away. Her hand brushed against Hades’, and she laced their fingers together.

“Thoroughly slimed and half-digested, no doubt, but yes,” was his careless response.

“They’ll be _fine_ , dear girl. The old man won’t let a student come to _too much_ harm on his watch.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she nodded. “Though how do you suppose such a thing happened? A giant cubus? That sort of thing is…”

“Careless? Idiotic?” Hythlodaeus added, helpfully.

“Well… you’re not wrong, I suppose,” she relented. They continued their walk, leaving behind a gawking crowd and the aggravated yelling of their professors. Persephone failed to spy the knowing look that passed between her friends.


	7. Day 6 - Masks / Embrace.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We all have our masks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - Masks / Embrace  
> Takes place after Mt Gulg.  
> Darkfic, manipulation, implied major character death, mind break (?)

The Warrior of Light awoke in a shadowy place. Sitting up too quickly, she fell forward and gripped her head as the room spun. How long had she been out? She felt as if she’d been sleeping for a very long time. The last thing that she could remember was...

“How are you feeling?”

She swung around toward the voice, wincing as her disorientation worsened. An Ascian — no, she’d seen that mask before. With dawning horror, she realized it was Emet-Selch. Without the Emperor’s slouch he was far more imposing — no, merely _taller_. She touched her ribs as memories of their battle flashed behind her eyes. No pain. She’d definitely cracked several. And the blood... 

She closed her eyes and lowered her head into her hands, thinking. 

“... I lost?” she wondered aloud. Their struggle had been intense. Thancred had thrown the auracite, and she’d staked everything on one final — 

“Where are my friends!?” she shouted. “What have you done with the Exarch?” When met with silence, she looked up to the man’s unwavering form. It was a moment before he folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head at her.

“Can you believe that these mortals employed _time_ magic?” He released his posture and shrugged. “Won’t Nabriales be thrilled?”

“Nabriales is dead,” she snapped. He appeared to clench his jaw at that, before his trademark smirk spread across his face.

“Only the fragment you remember. Did you not pay attention to our earlier conversations? I can restore a soul shard of the sundered Ascians to their office at any time.”

“How?”

“I promise to give you a first-hand demonstration. Though, in your case...”

He _snapped_ and something appeared mid-air, hovering before her. It looked like a soul crystal, vibrant orange and marked with the alchemical symbol of the sun. Without giving it much thought, she reached up and took possession of the thing, turning it over in her hands. It was warm, as if it resonated with her aether. Her head felt fuzzy.

“This is a distraction!” she cried, throwing it at Emet-Selch’s feet. He had no time to comment before she’d launched herself across the room, fist drawn back, only to stumble on her weakened legs. He caught her around the waist before she landed face-first on the ground.

“You’re in no position to fight,” he reprimanded, sounding almost concerned. 

“Ngh, I feel terrible. What have you done?” She came to realize that her battle wounds weren’t the only ailments gone strangely missing.

“The Lightwarden’s aether,” she gasped. “I… I channeled it into one last strike. How did you survive it?”

“Oh dear,” he sighed, steadying her on her feet. “It seems that you remember little. You nearly turned.”

She searched his face out of habit. The mask prevented her from reading much. Emet-Selch hadn't lied to her before, and if he’d defeated her, what reason would he have to begin now?

"Why am I still myself?"

"'Tis strange how this has played out," he huffed, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Indeed, you coalesced all of that tainted aether and honed it into a killing blade — but it overwhelmed you. Before I could intervene, your Exarch made good on finishing his plans."

G’raha’s plan? "Wait! Are you saying that he… He absorbed the light and fell into the Rift?" She stumbled over those last few words as a familiar tightness squeezed her heart. She couldn't process his death — not yet, not while she remained here. But if the Exarch had passed, it meant that the Scions were free from his spell. They were home! They were —

"Not quite." Her eyes snapped back up to her gaoler.

"Then he…"

"Became a Lightwarden in your stead."

Emet-Selch caught her by the elbows as she wavered on her feet. _The Exarch turned. Then the Scions…_

"I have to save them," she babbled, twisting in his grip. "You can't keep me here, I'm going to --"

"The calamity has already passed," he stated. "The eighth rejoining is complete."

Whatever he said next went unheard as the room spun. 

*****

When the Warrior opened her eyes again, she was laying in a plush bed. Emet-Selch sat at the edge, stroking her hair like a lover. The mask was absent, his hood pulled back. There was something else beside her. Shifting her vision, she spied the orange crystal near her head. 

“Don't rush,” he soothed. His voice sounded like it was drifting up through a fog. "You need rest." 

"Why am I alive?" she asked. The words felt numb. Everything felt numb. She thought about batting his hand away, but what did it matter?

"I would never let you die."

"I’m your prisoner, then?"

"I am keeping you _safe_.”

“From _what_? You’re the only threat to me now.”

She felt him recoil — not physically. It felt like his aura had withdrawn from her, and in the next moment it was closed off. Unreadable. 

“Yet you made me your confidante,” he continued in a strained tone. “Did I not listen when you needed to speak? Hold you when you sought comfort?”

She paled. The nights they spent in secret felt like a lifetime ago. What had even compelled her to turn to him? She sat up slowly, shrugging him off. There was no way he’d gone sentimental — there _wasn’t_.

"I feel strange."

“Not still weakened, are you?”

“I don’t think so.” She rubbed her forehead, taking internal stock of her well-being. “Just… different.”

She looked toward the room that she had paid little attention to before now. Though the light was calm and muted, it was easy to see that she was in an extravagant bedroom. The bed was enormous enough to sleep several adult elezen, and the softness felt tailored to her liking. That struck her as odd. 

"Are we on the Source?” No, that question didn’t feel right. Emet-Selch said that he couldn’t transport bodies between stars. 

“Not nearly. We’re within the rift,” he gestured, as if she would see the expanse of darkness that lay beyond the room. “The refuge of our kin, when threatened by children of the Light.”

She looked at him strangely. _Our_ kin? Surely she was hearing things. Yet something tickled at the back of her mind. Her gaze flitted to the orange crystal. It was glowing in soft pulses; the rhythm matching her heartbeat. Something whispered through her mind. It sounded like the language that the Ancients in Emet-Selch’s city had spoken, but the words were muffled. She couldn’t understand them.

Then her eyelids grew heavy.

*****

The days blurred together until her concept of time became nothing more than an illusion.

How long had she been in this place? 

She’d found no exit to the room in her waking moments. It seemed the only way in or out was through an aetherial anchor, and she had neither the strength nor the ability to reach through her dark prison. 

Emet-Selch was her only visitor. When she awoke he was simply there, always wanting to _talk_. How was she feeling? Could he provide anything to make her stay more pleasant? He asked her to call him by name — which she refused. 

He wasn’t a friend. She wouldn’t let him fool her.

Talking with him was exhausting. In the beginning she’d tried rolling over and ignoring him, but he’d shrug it off and tell her stories of Amaurot until she fell asleep. Eventually she opened up to conversation, if only to keep her sanity throughout her isolation. She didn’t expect there was much to discuss between them, but before long she was telling stories of her own. Of her life, her adventures. Then she would see how pleased he appeared and force her tongue to still. 

By then he was content to let her rest, while she curled up with her feelings of doubt and shame. He was an Ascian, and he was keeping her prisoner. She wasn’t supposed to be getting along with him.

Why then did it feel so easy?

*****

She groaned into the darkness. She’d awakened earlier than usual. She knew because Emet-Selch wasn’t there. Perhaps she was wrong. He may have simply been occupied with other matters.

Her hand brushed over the crystal that continued to rest by her pillow. It continued to pulse with its soft glow, but when she looked again, there was another. This new one shone with violet light, almost in sync with the orange. She scooped up the pair, cradling them in her palms. They felt strangely comforting to hold. 

Thinking little of it, she clutched the pair of crystals close and curled back into the bedding, letting her eyes drift shut once more.

And then she dreamt of memories long forgotten.

*****

“I knew you would remember,” Hades murmured into her ear. She merely hummed in response and buried herself deeper in his embrace. “How do you feel now? Besides ‘cold’.”

“Better, I think. Ready to get out of this bed.”

“Good.” 

It had taken time, but his efforts paid off handsomely. The persistent visits to her room, the gentle persuasion to accept his affections once more. She’d finally opened her heart to their memory crystals, and everything returned to her. While she was overcome with the burden of a lifetime forgotten, he led her to renounce what had come between them — Hydaelyn, the Scions, and her fateful decision so very long ago.

Everything he asked of her, she gave. It was all he needed to hear.

His darkness made quick work of her blessing. The only god she answered to now was Hades himself — though he would need to monitor Elidibus. The Emissary might try to temper her for reassurance. He found the idea distasteful. So long as she served their interests, there was no need. He didn’t care to share her devotion with anyone, not even Zodiark.

To that end, it was best that they be on their way.

“It’s time we leave this place,” he announced, reluctantly sliding out from the warmth of the covers. She shivered, quick to pull the blankets up to her neck. 

“Where are we going?”

“Where we’re needed.” A _snap_ , and his dark robes materialized around his frame. He held something in his hands.

“What is it?” she asked, scooting closer to the edge of the bed to have a look. A mask, like each of the Convocation wore — but this one was black. She tilted her head, regarding it curiously.

He beckoned to her with a crooked finger. As she drew closer, he gently pressed the mask to her face. 

“Oh. It fits like a glove,” she remarked. He gestured toward a mirror across the room. She looked. Her reflection looked back. “This is…”

“We all have our masks,” he commented, pulling her long hair behind her shoulders to show off more of her face. He looked to the mirror and found her reflection smiling back.

“This one, my dear Azem, is yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you are a writer and/or enjoy FFXIV fics, come join a very friendly and enabling group: https://discord.gg/ftFnYbe
> 
> Find me on Twitter: @AzureSummoner


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